Forever and Ever
by Veesh the Frog
Summary: A story of how Max & the flock are coping to their usual antics. Takes place between the epilogue chapters in Forever, the last Max Ride book. DO NOT READ THIS UNLESS YOU HAVE READ FOREVER, IT INCLUDES SPOILERS! Funny banter, explosions, and sweet mushy-gushy(all the stuff Max loves) moments are all in store! Rated between K and T, but T to be safe! Major FAX! COMPLETE!
1. The Tank Top

**AN: I know this is super short but it's meant to be super light and funny right now. Hope you all enjoy! PEACE!**

* * *

 **Nudge's POV**

 _Ugh._ I thought as I surveyed one of my tops. I remember it used to be a cute lavender tank and now, it's covered in dirt and burn marks. Wait a second. _Burn marks?_

I ran through the tunnel that lead me to a large room, one where the flock usually hung out in. " _Gazzy! Iggy!_ Get your asses over here right now!". Angel turned her head to me in surprise. Reading my mind, she nodded knowingly.

"They're in their room,".

"Thanks," I replied, and took off.

I wasn't 100% comfortable around Angel. I mean, I love her, and she saved us but it's weird having a _prophet_ in the fam. That too in the youngest child. I know she can't help it, but I haven't forgotten the rampages when she made her "Leader of the Flock" campaigns. Max forgave her like _that_ , which I was totally not expecting-it's Max-but then, I guess she's always had a soft spot for Angel.

Making it to my destination, I panted a bit before straightening myself up. _Jeezum, a few months without having to run from something really takes a tole on your endurance._ Reminding myself to work out more in our make-shift "gym", I burst into the room.

"Gazzy, Iggy, you two are _so_ screwed!"

* * *

 **AN: So I had my mind blown yesterday when I saw my favorite band, Imagine Dragons, LIVE. IT WAS AMAZING. It was Wayne Sermon's birthday, so the entire stadium sang happy birthday to him. This sounds sappy as all get out but you could literally feel the music, a vibration in your chest. I met up with some friends I haven't seen in a while so that was cool, too. :)  
**

 **That was really the only interesting thing I'm doing this summer besides camping for a couple days. Oh yeah, I probably won't be able to update as often as I am now so, sorry about that.**

 **Lemme know if any of you have seen your favorite bands live, or love Imagine Dragons, or want to suggest something for the fanfic, I'm pretty much winging this(Get it? _Wing-_ ing it? On a Max Ride fanfic?...I'm gonna stop :D).**

 **Does anyone know something about an official Max Ride webseries coming out? I know about Piera Forde's channel but apparently this is a different one. Can you guys let me know what this is and when it's coming out? THANKS!**


	2. Consequences

**AN: Next chapter! Hope you like it. As always, RATE AND REVIEW PLEASE!  
**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any part of the Maximum Ride franchise. All credit for that goes to my favorite author, JAMES PATTERSON!**

* * *

 **Iggy's POV**

Max is one of the scariest people I know. She's bloodthirsty, for instance when someone hurts someone she loves, or when someone hurts _her_ , or when one of us sneaks a few bites of her chocolate cake.

But Nudge? She's not usually that scary. I'll remember to keep that "usually" in mind after she burst in our room today.

The Gasman and I had been working on making heat generators for each room, to keep everyone warm underground.

"Hey, Ig, can you pass me the copper wire?"

I felt around in my lap to find the wire that we had scrounged up before we hid in our gigantic hidey-hole and passed it to Gazzy.

"Don't forget to put a resistor on the wire, Gas, or the-"

"-thing will short circuit, yeah, I know," he finished for me.

We worked in silence for a bit and I guess that shows how much changed. Before everything happened, me and the Gasman used to joke around, or at least try to make something explode, just for kicks.

Now it felt like the dirt all around us smothered that feeling, like the freedom we used to have with this sort of stuff cost a price we couldn't afford.

Maybe I'm just imagining it. I honestly don't know anything for sure anymore. _Not since Ella…no, you're not going to let yourself dwell on this. She's DEAD. You need to get over it._ I could feel a lump in my throat forming, but I tried to swallow it.

That's when:

"Gazzy, Iggy, you two are _so_ screwed!"

* * *

 **Gazzy POV**

 _Huh. Wonder what's gotten her PO'd..._

"What did we do this time?" I said casually.

"Recognize _this_?" she snarled. I got to admit, it was impressive. She almost looked like an Eraser. Oh, if there is such thing as a God, don't let Angel know I said that and tell Nudge.

She held up a battered looking purple top that I remembered right away. We were trying to see if it was cotton since Nudge had pulled the label out. It was one of our first days down under and we were just trying to make a fire. No reason why, just for fun. I frowned. _We haven't done anything really fun since that time. Gotta fix that._

Nudge was still waiting for an answer. "Well?"

I smiled up sheepishly at her. "Sorry?".

Her face darkened. "Oh, you're gonna be,".


	3. I Love Fang

**AN: YAY! I ACTUALLY WROTE A LONG CHAPTER. Warning, this chapter contains a lot of fluff. Little bits of humor. Anyways, I hope you likey! As always, RATE AND REVIEW PLEASE!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own any part of the Max Rid franchise, all credit for that goes to James Patterson, my idol. 68 years old and still pumping out bestsellers like nobody's business...**

* * *

 **Fang's POV**

 _She's so beautiful,_ I thought, as I tucked Max into bed, like she had done for the flock so many time. Her lips pointed upwards in a small smile. I was relieved. Lately, she'd been really stressed out. _Thank God she's not awake._ My mouth twisted into a wry smile.

Max was seven months pregnant, almost eight, and her mood switch seemed to be stuck on " _cranky_ " _._ Don't get me wrong, she was thrilled to have the baby, so was I, but apparently, it hurts. And makes you cranky as all hell. _Note to self: don't ever wish you can switch genders._

A moment of revelation that had been hitting me over and over again hit me yet again, as I was staring at Max. _I love her._ I've known that since the first time I saw her big brown eyes, looking at me from her cage in the School. _She's having a baby. I'm having a baby. We're having a_ _ **baby.**_

I'm pretty sure anyone would flip the crap out when they're having a baby, but "anyone" usually refers to a responsible adults who are financially and emotionally stable. We are anything but. We are two 15 year olds who don't have any money, but living underground, it's not like we need it. Emotionally...I don't know.

Max...she's amazing. She doesn't need to be worried whether or not she's going to be a good parent. She practically raised the flock. Max was the flock's leader, yeah, and sister(ew, not to me though), and their mother. I'm a whole 'nother story. I'm distant and cold, even though I love the flock, even Angel. I don't know if I can change, and-and I...I'm _so_ scared that I won't be a good father.

I didn't realize that I was practically crushing Max's hand. She startled, opening her eyes and her muscles tensing up, ready for a fight. I leaned over her, cupping her face with my palm. "Hey, hey, it's me, relax,". I felt her heartbeat go down a notch. But only a notch. Even after seven months of not having to run from someone, Max was always alert, always ready. I ran my thumb up and down her cheek, trying to lull her back to sleep. God knows she needs it.

Max was up all day yesterday, trying to help teach the other mutant kids how to read and write. They were pretty smart, but never learned the skill. I don't know when any of them are going to use it, but Max insisted that "Everyone should know how to at least write their own name,". She got that stubborn look on her face that told me I wasn't going to win this argument.

Even Max with a big-ass stomach can intimidate and scare me in about point-two seconds. She had drifted off for a few seconds, but then blinked those gorgeous warm brown eyes up at me. She smiled, and reached out and put her hand on my cheek. "Hey,".

I don't smile often, but there's few things in the world that make me truly happy. The flock, bacon, and reality TV(Turns out Jeb had a secret stash of CD's in his office. I'm halfway through Season 2 of What Not To Wear. Stacy is _so_ sassy. I love it).

Back to the point. Max...I love her more than life itself. I had to grin when she flashed that dazzling smile of hers and sat up. Moving my face right up to hers, I smelled the sweet peppermint on her breath. _Wonder if she eats toothpaste_ …

* * *

 **Max's POV**

Fang barely brushed his lips against mine, torturing me. As he pulled back, I moved forward, wanting that kiss, and nearly face-planted on the bed as he stood up, out of reach.

He was laughing, trying(and failing) to smother it in his elbow. I played mad. "Fang!" I whined, and arranged my face in what I thought was a puppy dog face.

He moved closer, a dark, hungry gleam in his eyes, now.

His lips had just touched mine when-

 _Crash!_

-a goddamn noise came from Iggy and Gazzy's room right next to us. I groaned. _So freaking close._

Fang sighed, running a hand through his hair. It had grown out in the past few months, and now reached a little above his shoulder. "I'll handle this one, rest up, okay?".

I nodded, and simply lay back down on my bed. I haven't gotten much sleep lately. Fang put on his black leather jacket(Why Fang? So you look bad-ass in front of the kids? Haha, please, I've kicked your butt in front of them before), walked over to the bed, gave me a quick peck, his lips soft and warm, and left the room to see whatever Gazzy and Iggy had blown up this time. Thank God I have Fang. Without him, I'd be dealing with this, _all_ of this, on my own. _He's awesome,_ I thought. _What other guy would walk into a closed room where something likely blew up due to the Gasman, and Iggy?_ I snuggled up with the pillow. _I love Fang._

* * *

 **AN: I have a funny story! So we had a school dance and me and one of my guy-friends[ _SO_ not my boyfriend. 1) We're barely teenagers. Dating at this age is stupid and 2) ew] took a selfie together where we were doing one of those weird side hug things.  
**

 **One of my friend's, who is 10, was going through my phone and saw the forementioned photo(ooh, points for vocab). In front of my dad, she asks "Is that your boyfriend?". Before I can even blush, my dad says "yes".**

 **Later on, me and my friend from the photo were playing Truth or Truth(we were texting), and that came up in one of my answers("What was the most embarrassing thing that's happened to you this month?). I told him and he replied with a "XD XD XD. Best dad of the year award goes to...!".**

 **So that's that. Bye guys, I'll update, in, like, three days! Sorry about that...**

 **Peace!**

 **-Veesh the Frog**


	4. Fight

**AN: Hi guys. Sorry it's been a few days since I updated. I...have no excuse. Sorry. :P** **Anyways, I really had fun writing this chapter, even though it's on the short side. Enjoy! RATE AND REVIEW PLEASE!**

 **Thank you so much for all the love in the comments, each and every one of them makes me smile!** _ **Fa**_ ** _x and Percabeth_ wrote a comment for Ch.3 that made me crack up:  
**

 _I'm literally imagining Fang watching What Not to Wear and making comments like "Girl that is so not your style!" XD_

* * *

 **Disclaimer: I don't own any part of the Maximum Ride franchise. All credit for that goes to James Patterson. I do wish I owned her wings. Maaaaybe not the whole crazy-scientists-after-me-thing that comes with it, though. :D**

 **I also don't own any of the references mentioned in this chapter, like the shows Say Yes To The Dress, What Not To Wear, and How I Met Your Mother.**

* * *

 **Nudge's POV**

I was so mad. I don't even know why, it was only a tank top. I mean, a _really_ pretty tank top, but nothing to get this wound up over. It was too late to take it back anyways.

We were circling each other, Gazzy and Iggy together on one end, both smiling wickedly, and myself on the other.

The blood lust started to go away as I remembered fond memories from way back when, before Angel got taken by Ari and the Erasers, before Jeb had left us for the dead, before _all_ of this, when he used to make us spar against each other. It was actually really fun, despite what it sounds. It was usually Angel vs. Gazzy, me against Iggy, and Max and Fang, being the two strongest fighters, were the championship match that we all loved to watch(Speaking of watching, I saw Fang in Jeb's office, watching Say Yes To The Dress on Jeb's laptop. I left, thinking I was hallucinating. I went in a half hour later, and he was watching What Not To Wear. I think he either **a** ) is losing it due to stress from the baby, **b** ) is losing it due to being trapped underground, or **c** ) realized he needs a major wardrobe makeover, I mean, strong-and-silent black with just a touch of emo-ness and edge is _so_ out...I assume).

With no warning Gazzy lunged towards me, pushing his head into my flat-would-be-boobs, if it hadn't been for the freaking bird DNA meant to make us as light as possible. Unfortunately, it was still a sensitive spot, and my breath was knocked out of me when Iggy sucker punched me in the stomach right after my momentary shock from the boob-blow( _No_ , that's not what I meant by "boob-blow", there's just no other way to describe it. Get your heads out of the gutter, people).

They had both overpowered me, and pinned me against the door. I was trapped. Wait…

Hello. I was "trapped". Against the _door._

They grinned like maniacs, thinking they had won. I grinned right back, wanting to giggle as Gazzy's smiles faltered in face of mine.

"What?" Iggy said, sounding pissed.

"She's smiling…" Gazzy murmured, looking a little confused, his head tilted slightly, his mouth in a small frown, and his eyebrows drawn inward. On a normal day, that look would have made my heart melt, it was so freaking _adorable_ , but it made me burst into maniacal cackling that day.

Because we were all genetic super freaks, this had all happened within a minute. As fast as I could, I twisted the knob with one hand, pushing the boys away with the other, and ran outside.

* * *

 **Fang's POV**

I certainly wasn't _expecting_ Nudge to burst out of the door as I was about to go in.

 **Most embarrassing moment today:** having Nudge run over you and your only thought at the time having been: _Huh. She looks like she just drank 6 litres of Tantrum*._

* * *

 _*A Note from Fang: Jeb apparently liked How I Met Your Mother, too. As evil as he might have been, you can't deny that he had taste. Say Yes To The Dress and What Not To Wear are fun, yeah, but NOTHING beats HIMYM. I mean, I love olives, Max hates them. When push comes to shove, though, we'll all eat desert rat. Yum._

* * *

 **AN: So I've had these songs stuck in my head for the past few days, the last three are due to a fanfiction I've read recently, The House of Hell by _Love2Love._ The other song is just there 'cause it's amazing.  
**

A Letter To Elise by The Cure \- such a great, sad story made into a song. Make's me tear up _every_ time I hear it. Oldies are the best.

Stop and Stare by OneRepublic \- a meaningful song that can be interpreted in many ways. It feels like someone's opening up my freaking soul at the last chorus where it's almost acapella.

It Feels Like We're Strangers by Keane \- just...wow. Hauntingly beautiful, just like karaoke(which means "empty orchestra" in Japanese. HIMYM reference, the Pineapple Indecent!).

 **And finally... _drum roll please!_**

Sexy Back by Justin Timberlake \- I'm not usually a big fan of these types of songs but this song is just _so_ fun.

* * *

"I'm bringin' sexy back _(yeah!)_

Them motherf*ckers don't know how to act,

Girl, let me make up for the things you lack,

'Cause you're burnin' up, I gotta get it fast.

 _Take 'em to the bridge!_

Dirty baaabe _(uh huh)_

You see these shackles, baby, I'm you're slaave _(uh huh)_

I'll let you whip me if I misbehaave _(uh huh)_

It's just that no one makes me feel this way _(uh huh)_ "

 **So damn catchy... :D**


	5. Chaos

**AN: Super super SUPER huge apology for not updating sooner. I've been really busy with family and other plans, and it's been all over the place. Oh, and sorry again for the short chapter. I hope you enjoy it anyways! RATE AND REVIEW PLEASE!  
**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any part of the Maximum Ride franchise, all credit for that goes to my man JP(James Patterson)!**

 **OH MY GOD, "JP" ALSO STANDS FOR JAMES POTTER HOW DID I NOT REALIZE THIS BEFORE**

* * *

 **Gazzy's POV**

I started to laugh when I saw what had happened. Iggy, not being able to tell what happened, frowned and asked what was going on.

"Nudge-ran over-Fang!" I gasped between laughing fits.

Fang stood up, and brushed some dirt off his jeans, rubbing his head a bit. He frowned. "Keep it down, Max is trying to sleep. What's going on?".

I felt guilty right away. Max was watching out for all of us, in my opinion, better than she ever had before. I think it's because of Dylan. She deserved a break.

Lowering my voice, I spoke, "Nudge found one of our...uh, experiments. The thing is, we kind of used her top to do it, so she's a little mad. We fought for a bit, and we got her up against the door, and then she opened it an- _hey!_ Ig, c'mon, we gotta get her!". And with that, we were off, not even hearing Fang's feeble attempt to stop us.

* * *

 **Fang's POV**

Huh. This sounds like chaos. _Haven't had a bit of fun in a while._

Grinning, I took off after them.

* * *

 **Angel's POV**

"No, you wrote it backwards, here,".

I showed one of the mutants how to write a proper _R_. He copied, making a shaky but legible letter. "Good, now here's the next let-"

I was cut off by Nudge racing past me. _She must be running from Gazzy and Iggy_ , I thought amusedly. I missed playing like that. Not a minute later, sure enough, Gazzy and Ig ran by, closely followed by Fang.

Longing washed over me, and then outrage. _Why_ can't _I play with them? I'm still part of the flock, after all._

I leaned down and told the mutant, he liked the name Jamie, "We'll work more on this later,". I felt kind of bad leaving him in a hurry like that but whatever. Racing off, I ran after Fang and the rest of the flock, minus Max of course, finally feeling a bit like my old self.


	6. The War Room

**AN: I'm super sorry for the long update time and for this crap chapter. I did my best, though I'm probably going to edit this later. I couldn't figure out a better way to transition this to what I want the story to turn into. I hope you guys enjoy it anyways.  
**

 **I owe a major thanks to:**

ZipUnZipIt

King9085

Fax and Percabeth

Ayush

There-You-Have-Been-Warned

KimaAmmos13

raxthel

 **They have all reviewed, followed, and/or favorited this story, and I really can't tell how much that means to me, I truly and very much appreciate it, it absolutely makes my day! Okay, done with the heart-to-heart. ON WITH THE STORY!**

 **Wait, one more thing...**

 **To** King9085 **: Thank you so freakin' much for reviewing on all the chapters, it warms my heart, and don't worry, I will utilize your ingenious idea in the next chapter, I promise!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own any part of the Max Ride franchise, all cred goes to JP, I thought we went over this...**

* * *

 **Fang's POV**

I can't remember the last time I had this much fun. I was chasing Gazzy and Iggy, they were chasing Nudge, as judging from the light footsteps I heard from behind me, Angel was picking up the rear. My heart raced nearly as fast as the rate my legs were going.

Seeing Gazzy and Iggy run left, I realized where Nudge was leading us; we called it the War Room. It was a huge alcove with high ceilings we found a couple months ago. It had old fashioned weapons strapped into its metal walls, such as daggers, swords, even a few bayonets. The flock mostly liked it because it was an open area.

We skidded in, our worn shoes squeaking against the smooth chrome floors. Ang stopped herself in the nick of time from running into me. Nudge was nowhere to be seen.

 _She must be hiding somewhere, just_ waiting _to hit us with something..._

The hair on my neck stood up. Whirling around, I gave the sign that meant to "circle up" behind my back; pinky and thumb sticking up. We didn't really care that we could've been as loud as we wanted, but it was fun to pretend like we were sneaking around.

A couple seconds passed by, but they felt like hours. Finally, as I suspected, Nudge flew up, holding a large mallet and grinning a grin that was horribly reminiscent of Gazzy when he somehow filled up my gumball with glue(I was seriously convinced that I'd never be able to talk again). I shuddered at the comparison.

In a matter of seconds, Nudge swooped down, and suddenly we were all sparring, like we used to. Gazzy and Angel were locked in battle, and it looked like Angel was playing fair, _for once in her life_ , and not using her mind control and prophet-future-seeing-thingy.

Nudge, Iggy, and I were going at it, the guys against the girl. Seems fair.

Narrowly avoiding a roundhouse, Ig launched his own series of punches. Unfortunately, he forgot about the whopping _mallet_. As soon as he managed to get a hold of Nudge, she just hit his hand. His mouth opened slightly, in shock and cradling his hand. Iggy's knees were bent slightly like he was about to fall, and it was _hilarious_. I burst laughing, because that was the only time I'd ever seen Iggy do that, besides the time he peed his bed and it was his… _you know_ , that he was holding on to.

We were all laughing and were to the point of collapsing on the floor the moment we saw Iggy like that, because we were all remembering the time he wet his tighty-whities, and I felt free for the first time in months, years even. I don't think we were really laughing about The Mallet Incident, as we dubbed it a couple weeks after. We were just laughing. Slowly letting go of all the pain. All the suffering. The lies, the ruin, the destruction. I wished Max were there.

I succumbed and lay down on the floor near Nudge, and put my arm under my head as a makeshift pillow, still chuckling.

* * *

 **Max's POV**

I couldn't sleep, not with all the racket outside. I sighed, and jogged slowly to the War Room to get a bit of training done. The baby was making it slightly hard to touch my toes.

Imagine my surprise when I saw the rest of the flock already there and just _laughing_. They were all doubled over, Fang going as far as to lying down on the floor. I smiled. It had been a long time since I've seen the flock like that. I giggled for a second, remembering the time we were in Florida, and the damn M-Bots gave us freaking _birdseed_.

I decided to make my presence and thoughts known by screaming. It's very fun, you should try it. "Hey guys!". Five heads turned my way. "Do you remember the birdseed?". They looked confused, but after a moment, I saw comprehension light up their faces, and they all started laughing even more hysterically.

The fun and games slid from my head as I saw Nudge's hand go slack, and she dropped the mallet. The _metal_ mallet. Fang was right under her.


	7. Pass Out

**AN: Hey guys! What's up? Good God, I'm so tired, but I love you guys too much. OVER 1000 VIEWS, WOOHOO! Let's see if I can get more reviews, too. :)**

 **Super thanks to** King9085 **, to whom I dedicate this chapter to, for a sweet message that warmed my heart! Another thanks goes to** fangxfour **for following the story, and** Quintessa12 **for reviewing! Overall, huge thanks to everyone!  
**

King **(can I call you that? I've always thought it would be a cool name. :D), I'm so super duper sorry, but your idea is going to be put on hold until the next chapter. I was going to write this chapter, then write the next chapter with your idea in it, and then post them both, but I'm afraid I bit off more than I can chew. I'm barely holding my eyes open right now. I can't write the chapter right now, but I'll try to have it up tomorrow. I already have a solid idea, I just gotta type it out. I hope you'll forgive me for post-poning it for a little bit longer.  
**

 **Please leave a review, because to an author, a view without a review says "I looked at the story and hated it and immediately pressed the 'back' button". (P.S. I totally copied that from Pinky Brown's profile! Great Ron-fic author! :D)  
**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own any part of the Max Ride franchise, all credit goes to James Patterson.**

* * *

 **Max's POV**

The atmosphere changed rapidly.

Suddenly Fang was right next to me, with a bruise on his head the size of an egg. I didn't remember running up to him. It felt like my ears were muffled, and at the time I didn't notice Nudge and Gazzy telling me to calm down, or Angel explaining to Iggy what happened, and then the look of pity and sympathy that came over his face. None of it mattered because the last time I had seen, or imagined Fang so still was when he was-I don't even want to say it. When he was _dead_. That was unimaginable now.

I shook him as hard as I possibly could, adrenaline fueling my arms, until I finally saw those beautiful black obsidian eyes look up at me. He shoved himself away from me.

"Calm down, you mad woman, I'm fine,". He sounded annoyed but I could see the smile in his eyes. I smacked him, before pulling him up to his feet, and then soundly kissed him for a good moment or two, ignoring the groans from the kids, and the smile growing on Angel's face. He responded tenderly, his lips gently calming me down. His hands came up to cup my face, and wiped away the tears I hadn't realized had fallen from my eyes. I pulled back for a moment, and looked around. the kids were nowhere in sight. They probably went to their rooms. Fang moved his head closer again, his nose touching mine.

"You okay?"

I was quiet for a second. "I dunno,".

"That's okay. I'm fine, got it? I'm not leaving you. Never again,".

I finally looked up at him again. "I love you, Fang,".

"I love you, too, Max,".

Then his lips were on mine again, and for the moment, my ache was gone.

* * *

 **Nudge's POV**

Thank God Fang woke up after only a minute. Max has been really possessive over Fang ever since he...came back. It kills me to see her like that. Fang, too.

We just went back to my room after they started making out. I'm happy for them, but I don't think they realize how long they actually do it for, or how awkward it makes the rest of us feel. I mean, are the rest of us supposed to start making up? Um, ew. No way are the Gasman and Angel making out, and me and Ig? His heart belonged to Ella. It still does. Not to mention we're pretty much brother and sister.

We sat in the room for a moment, tension rolling over us. It was quiet. Until-Gazzy giggled. He laughed. The next second, he was rolling around on the floor, cackling like a maniac, the rest of us staring. I raised my eyebrow.

"Guys, I think the Gasman lost his mind,". That earned me a chuckle from Iggy. I smiled. It had been a long time since I've heard that.

Gas calmed down enough to come up and sit down on the bed.

"Will you tell us what you flipped out over?"

He grinned, and suddenly I wasn't sure whether I wanted to know.

"It's just...when you were flying around the War Room with the mallet, you looked like a girl-Thor!". He barely managed to get through that before collapsing in another fit of giggles.

I will never understand that kid.

* * *

 **Max's POV**

I can't sleep. I got out of bed, and looked over at Fang. He looked so young when he slept. I found myself smiling fondly, before I remembered what kept me up. I walked-or, rather, waddled-out. This baby better be freaking cute, I grumbled.

After our, ahem, make out session, we headed back to my room, and fell right to sleep. Or rather, Fang did. Him passing out earlier today kept me up. Or rather, memories did. The last time I saw someone lay so still. So pale. So... _dead_.

I wasn't trying to go anywhere. Just for a walk. But my feet lead me to a room I had only been in once. It was the "garden". Basically, it was a room with lots of trees, and bushes, and flowers. It was very beautiful, really. It was even topped, or rather, grounded off with 10 feet of dirt underneath the grass we stood upon. It provided the place with a very Earthy atmosphere, by giving it that smell of dirt and musk that some people like.

I came here for a reason. I guess today was a bit of a wake up call. I waddled myself into the garden, sitting myself down next a dirt covered patch in the ground., where daisies grew nearby. A rock lay on top of the dirt, with messily scrawled words on it, but at this point, my eyes were too watery to make out the words. I took a deep breath, and calmed myself down.

"Hey Dylan,".


	8. Flashback Part 1

**AN: I thought I was going to cry while writing this. There's more to the flashback coming in the next chapter. Okay. I hope all you lovelies enjoy! :)**

 **R &R please! They always make my day! Shout-out to my buddy** King **who's given me so much support, thank you so much!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own any part of the Max Ride franchise, all credit for that goes to JP.**

* * *

 **Flashback**

 _Angel ran into the room. She had heard Max scream and came running._

 _She hadn't known what to expect. But she certainly wasn't expecting Fang lying on a stretcher-like-thing, Dylan on the floor laying eerily still, and Max crumpled up and on her knees, a look of pure shock her face. Angel had no idea what to make of it. Making quick work, Angel guessed this much: Dylan had somehow gotten a hold of Fang's body, showed it to Max, Max cracked and told Dylan about the baby, and they got in a fight in which Max promptly knocked Dylan out cold._

But why did Dylan get Fang's body? _Angel winced, looking at Fang, a friend, a brother, someone she loved so dearly, and at that moment, it was all she could do to not tear up herself. Ignoring the uneasiness and dread growing inside of her, she crouched down next to Max, who had eyes only for Dylan._

" _Max? What happened?" Angel whispered gently. She kept quiet. Angel waited. She didn't want to push Max. Max was the only one who had truly forgiven her. Angel had no idea why. It was Max who she had most hurt, who she had least expected to forgive the "traitor" of the flock._ But then, I've always been her little girl, _thought Angel._

 _Lost in her thought, she didn't notice at first the words Max was trying so hard to get out._

 _Paying more attention, she looked._

" _Dylan…he-he's… HE'S DEAD!" Angel jumped a little when Max screamed the last words. Her head spun. Dylan couldn't be dead, no. Fun, lively, happy-go-lucky Dylan, who always had hope in everyone, who would always find something to smile about, he couldn't be dead. Numbly, Angel walked up to Dylan. Already knowing what she would hear, or rather,_ not _hear, Angel put her ears to Dylan's chest. Nothing. Her throat felt very tight._

" _How?" Angel managed to get out hoarsely._

 _Max got up on her feet, looking absolutely furious._

 _She knelt down next to Dylan, pounding his chest with every word._

" _You-"_ punch _, "stupid-"_ punch _, "idiot!"_ punch.

" _You just have to do the right thing, don't you? You just, you're just…" Max screeched, trailing off towards the end, and then silent tears started to stream down her face._

 _She proceeded to put her face in her hands, kneeling over Dylan, tears dripping on to that handsome face. Angel found herself crying, too. She didn't know how long they were just there, crying._

 _They snapped out of their reverie when they heard a voice that they hadn't heard in what seemed like forever._

" _Max?"_


	9. Flashback Part 2

**This is my shortest chapter by far, but I wanted to put at least something out. I have to say, before writing this fanfic, I hated Dylan. Now, I feel like weeping for him. His life was devoted to Max, and as it turns out, so was his death. So here's this. Bit of a filler to be honest.** King **, so sorry if this is a let down from what you were expecting. I just feel like that while they'd be ecstatic about Fang, they'd be devastated over Dylan. I hope you guys enjoy anyways. R &R please!**

 **READ THIS. I'm pondering over what to write next. I'm in a bit of the dreaded writer's block. I'll try to come up with something, but for now, all my lovelies will have to wait a bit longer for the next update. :(**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own any part of the Max Ride franchise. All cred belongs to JP.**

* * *

 _Max jumped up about 10 feet in the air, her instincts putting her into a defense_ _mode. She immediately softened as soon as she saw who had spoken._

" _Fang?"._

 _She raced to him, leaning over his stretcher. Fang groaned, and attempted to sit up. He seemed to truly wake up, and blinked, the fog in those onyx marbled cleared. He spotted Dylan's lifeless body on the floor, and his eyes widened, fear and confusion etched in every crevice on his face. Death had made him more expressive. He got to his feet, leaning on Max for support._

" _What the hell happened?"._

 _Angel saw Max, and it was like taking a refreshing dip in the cool water. Angel had never seen Max look so frightened, so broken down, so wary of everything. She took a long look at Dylan, and then back at Fang. Max murmured something indecipherable._

" _What?" Angel asked._

" _I think we should get the flock in here," Max cast a long look at Dylan. "I need to tell you all what happened. Can you get them?" Max turned to face Angel and directed the last question towards Angel. She, in turn, nodded. Before she left, she gave Fang a tight hug, and he hugged back the best he could in his weakened state._

 _Max turned towards Fang. She wanted to tell him what had happened first. How Fang was dead, but Dylan had somehow put him in stasis. How Dylan asked if she wanted Fang back. How when she told him about the baby, something finally broke. He broke. And then, what he did for Max. The ultimate sacrifice. Max had silent tears dripping down her face. Fang looked in shock, and nearly fainted, before Max caught him. Outside the door, four shocked faces stared at one another._

 _They walked in the door, Angel and Nudge moved to tears, and Gazzy's lower lip trembled. Watery smile lit up their faces as they saw Fang. they took turns hugging, and they all swore they saw tears in Fang's eyes. They stared at each other, identical timid smiles on their faces, when that moment of truth hit them like a truck. That night, they wept for Dylan._


	10. Take That, Bella

**AN: AHHH! It's been too long! I'm so super-duper 100 million times cross-my-heart-and-hope-to-die sorry that I haven't updated in forever, I had writer's block, and then homework is kicking my butt, so there's that as well. BUT STILL, NO EXCUSE! I've finally gotten over my writer's block, and i have some ideas for what to write next, so they should be up within the next day, week, or two weeks, depending on if the teacher's bless me with no homework. As for now, I don't have much time to write, so this short little excerpt(it shouldn't even count as a chapter) will have to do, I just wanted to put something out. I hope you enjoy it anyways! Rate and review, please!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own any part of the Maximum Ride franchise, all credit for that goes to James Patterson.**

* * *

 **Max's POV**

I looked up, my voice cracking. "I miss you,". I attempted to speak. I have no idea what I'm doing. Talking to Dylan? He's dead. He can't hear me. He's _gone_. My throat felt all tight and scratchy, as if a hairball had got caught in there.

Taking a deep breath, I went on, but in my head. _It's just...I feel awful. Why'd you have to do that, huh? No, nevermind, don't answer that. It's hard, you know. Without you. You were kind of like the husky of the group. Great fighter. But you cheered everyone up just the same. You were loyal, and-oh God, you have no idea how hard it is to talk about you in the past tense. And-_

My thoughts were interrupted by the door opening. I turned to see Fang come through the door, a dark shadow. I turned back towards Dylan. Fang glided over, making no noise, and knelt next to me.

I spoke, my voice hoarse, "Why're you up?".

"Couldn't sleep. Too cold,". I felt his eyes take a glance. He always got really uncomfortable here, or whenever we brought up Dylan. I know it's because he feels guilty that Dylan died to save him for me. I half-heartedly grinned. _Take that Bella, you had a slobbery werewolf and a sparkly vamp after you, I have-no,_ had _, two kick-ass mutant-bird-kids after me._


	11. ARGHH, MY EYES!

**AN: So I actually updated, yay! I had fun writing this chapter, it's fantastic to be able to write again! AP World History has been kicking my ass, I've pretty much been sleep deprived for the past week or so. BUT I GOT THIS UP SO YAY!**

 **Hugs and kisses to:**

littleauthorgirl

fangxfour

georgia-the-greek

Snowy19

 **They followed and/or favourited this story, thank you!**

 **Without further ado, here it is! Rate and review, if you'd like, and I hope you enjoy. :)**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own any part of the Max Ride franchise, all credit for that goes to James Patterson.**

* * *

 **Fang's POV**

I walked Max out of the garden/cemetery with an arm tightly wrapped around her shoulder. She was quiet, which I inwardly freaked out about. I mean, this is _Max_. She always has something sarcastic, or snarky, or meaningful to say. It's rare that she stays quiet unless it's to stay alive or whatever. So obviously, I'm going to flip the fuck out if Max is quiet, just like I did when I found out that Barney slept with over 200 women. I mean, _200 women_. How is Barney not dead?

I'm getting side tracked. So anyways, I walked Max to the "living room", and we sat there, not speaking. Minutes passed, and I couldn't stand the silence anymore, which is saying something considering I'm known to be the quiet one in the flock.

"You alright?" I murmured, scooching closer to Max. She rested her head on my shoulder.

"Yeah. I just-" her breath caught. I waited patiently. "I miss him," she finished.

I felt that horrible feeling in my chest. It's hard to describe. It was immense guilt, followed by some pleasure and relief, for which I felt even more guilty over. It was a pain in my chest, and it pulled on my conscience and heart. _Yes_ , I admitted I have a heart.

I didn't respond, but leaned over to kiss her, my lips gently undoing the stress and worry piled up in Max. She kissed back with equal fervor, her hands coming up to ensnare in my hair, and mine cupped her face. It was a tender kiss, but left us both breathless. We eventually stopped for air, and I leaned my forehead on hers, our breaths mingling. Out of nowhere, she groaned, and moved away, clutching her abdomen.

Panic rose up within me. "Max?! What's wrong?!" I tried to stay calm, I really did, but I ended up screaming it.

There must have been fear and sheer panic written all over over my face, because she looked up at me and laughed. The terror ebbed for a second, as I let my heart slow down a bit.

"I'm alright, Fang, really," she said once she'd stopped laughing. She smiled fondly at her belly and put a hand on it. "She just kicked a little too hard, that's all,".

My heart caught in my throat. "You-" my voice came out raspy. I tried again. "You know it's a girl?" my voice was hardly a whisper. She smiled sheepishly.

"Well, no, not conclusively, but…I think so. Besides, only girls have enough balls to risk kicking me so hard,". She grinned.

I mock frowned. "Wait, if it's a girl, how would she have balls…?".

Max swatted my arm, as I jumped away laughing into my hand. She grumbled, realizing she couldn't get up on her own, and extended a hand towards me looking down. "Not a word, Fang," she ground out as I helped her up. My shoulders shook from the effort of not laughing.

"Not funny, Fang, you have no ide-" I cut her off by swiftly bringing her face to mine and kissing her soundly. We were cut off within 30 seconds when we heard:

"ARGHH, MY EYES, THEY BURN, THEY'RE MAKING OUT! RUN FOR IT, GUYS!"

I sighed, recognizing Gazzy's voice and giggles from Nudge and Angel, and Iggy asking which way to run. _I wonder if this is what having kids is like…_


	12. Breaking the Ice

**AN: AHHHHH! It's been over a month since I've updated and there's been a hole in my heart from not writing. Maybe taking all honors and AP for my classes was a bit ambitious...eh, I'll figure something out. I'm so very sorry for not updating in forever, but at least I have a valid excuse(which is that homework sucks ass). Here's the chapter, and I'll try to update a bit more frequently, I promise.**

 **Big big big hugs and kisses to:**

FandomsXUnite

Quintessa12

 _*guests*_ **(whomever you may be :D)**

theWeekendSquared

Fax and Percabeth

Ayush

There-You-Have-Been-Warned

Kima-Ammos13

Daisybreeze

raxthel

TheDreamer7778

Maximumcreator

fangxfour

georgia-the-greek

 **All for reviewing, following, and/or favoriting this story. And I have one huge mega-thanks, big hugs and kisses, and a round of applause for my girl/boy(I'm not sure if you'd like your gender on display):**

King9085

 **He/She has stuck by me from the beginning, and a warm thank you for that, it really means a lot to me. Thanks to all 2529 people who took their time to view this story. :D**

 **Without further ado, here's the next(albeit short) chapter. I hope all you lovelies like. :)**

* * *

 **Gazzy's POV**

We all headed back to my and Iggy's room. None of us were getting any shut eye anytime soon, we had all drank liters of pop earlier at dinner and we were all hyped up on sugar. Well, not everyone, Max opted not to chug the liter of Cola so her baby stays healthy. Fang felt bad for her. Pshhh, that just means more for me!

Nudge and Angel sat down on the soft cot, chatting lightly, Max and Fang sat cuddled up sitting on the floor(get a room, guys, bleah), and Iggy and I chose to sit on the floor.

The conversations seemed to stop simultaneously and the room was filled with an awkward silence. My hands fidgeted. I didn't like silences like this one, it just reminded me of how broken the flock really was. Other times, when we were just messing around, I could pretend that everything was alright. That Dylan wasn't dead. That my little sister wasn't a psychic and wanted to be leader of the flock. That Fang hadn't been dead. In silences like these, all the bad things seemed to take up the space. I'd never voiced my opinion on this before, of course. I didn't need to mess up the flock even more

Good ol' Iggy pulled through for me by breaking the ice and grinning mischievously.

"Who wants to play truth or dare?"

* * *

 **Nudge's POV**

I smiled and nodded right away. Truth or dare was really fun, I remember playing it once...a _loooooong_ time ago. I think it was even before Angel got taken away by the Erasers and we were living with Jeb.

I think Jeb was out of the house for something and we had seen the game from TV and started to play. Oh yeah, I remember that, that was the time Gazzy set fire to the roof of the house.

If I remember correctly, Angel had to tell everyone about the time she accidentally caught Jeb showering, Max had to slap herself as hard as she could(which is pretty hard, in case you haven't figured it out), Fang and Iggy actually kissed for a brief millisecond(I'm pretty sure that's the only time I've seen Fang even come close to blushing), and the Gasman had to give up his flame thrower, which he was not very happy about...hence the fire-y roof thing. Good times…


	13. Zefron

**AN: Hey guys. Happy Thanksgiving! Okay, so, I know I haven't been the best updater, and when I do update, they're short, but I promise it's not because I'm just doing it for the sake of updating. I write the chapters quite literally right before updating, and I hardly have any time to write, so usually, whatever I finish, I update. I know that's not popular, so I'll try to work on that. :) Also, I've been focused on finishing my other Harry Potter fanfic, and it's _finally_ done, so I can finally put all my attention into this one. :D I'll try to update more frequently and with greater content, but my teachers give homework even over break: regardless, I'll try my best. I wish you all a very merry and happy Thanksgiving, I'm thankful to each and every one of my readers, and though it sounds cheesy(like the two bowls of popcorn I ate earlier...whoops), I truly mean it. :)**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own any part of the Maximum Ride franchise, all credit for that goes to James Patterson.**

* * *

 **Max's POV**

"Okay, Nudge, truth or dare?"

Nudge tilted her head up, pondering. "Okay, ummmm...I pick truth,".

I grinned mischievously. "Why do you have the Zack Efron-"

Nudge intervened. "Zefron. Not 'Zack Efron,'".

I looked towards Fang. He was trying to hold back laughter, and failing miserably. I flicked him the bird behind my back so the rest of the flock couldn't see, and took a deep breath. "Okay, why do you have the _Zefron_ poster under your cot with lipgloss marks all over it?"

There we go, that had my desired effect; Nudge went pink in the face in a deep blush. "I...um, I kind of-stop laughing Gazzy or I swear I'll punch you-I practice kissing on it…". She quickly muttered the last sentence just loud enough for us to hear and turned fushia as we all laughed.

"Can you blame me?" Nudge demanded, slowly getting a dreamy look on her face. "I mean, he's so so _so_ ho-"

"Yeah yeah, we get it," Gazzy interrupted, going into a pitch perfect imitation of Nudge. " _He's so hot, I want to have his kids and make little model babies with him, I wonder what I'll name our kids-_ ". Iggy was lying down on the floor collapsed in laughter, Fang was doubled over, as was I, in laughter, and even Angel was giggling. Just when I thought Nudge's face couldn't get any redder, she got up and punched Gazzy's stomach, which effectively shut him up.

He squawked, "What was that for?". Satisfied, Nudge sat back down as we all settled down, Iggy wiping merry tears from his eyes, still chuckling.

"Okay, okay, shut up, my turn,". An evil look entered Nudge's eyes as she targeted her prey: Gazzy.

* * *

 **Nudge's POV**

"Gazzy, truth or dare?"

I swear, I'm going to get him back, I will make him pay, I will-

"I pick truth".

Oh dammit. I was going to ask him to make out with the Zack Ef-whoops, sorry, Zefron poster. _Whew, I nearly pulled a Max..._


	14. Pregnant Women

**AN: So I actually posted an okay-sized chapter in a reasonable time. It must be a miracle. Thank you for all the reviews and views and follows and favorites, I've been going through a rather tough time and reading them makes me feel infinitely better. Thank you all, really. On with the story :)**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own any part of the Maximum Ride franchise, all credit for that goes to James Patterson**

* * *

 **Fang's POV**

This went on for about another hour or so, all of us answering unspeakable questions and unthinkable dares, until Max fell asleep leaning against the cot. It was then I sent the flock off to bed and gently shook Max awake. She looked adorable in the few seconds that she was confused and dazed after waking up.

I led her to our bedroom, and she chattered about what she was going to do tomorrow, wide awake after taking her nap. I fought to keep a smile off my face; it wasn't very often that Max was as chatty as she was now. I cut in, teasing her.

"Max, you're going to run out of breath talking like that. I mean, there are better things you could be doing with your lips…". I wiggled my eyebrows suggestively, grinning. I sidestepped the punch she aimed at my face, laughing.

She cracked a grin, and stepped close to me. My heartbeat immediately sped up. Max leaned in close, her gorgeous chocolate brown eyes staring at my jet-black ones and her lips just barely touching mine. I closed my eyes and-

 _Ahhchoo!_

Fuck fuck FUCK. I sneezed. Right on Max's face. I timidly opened an eye, fully expecting a punch, but surprisingly seeing Max's shoulders shaking in the effort to not laugh.

I chuckled a bit, and wiped off her face with my sleeve, and she properly laughed, doubling over in laughter-well, the best she could with large her pregnant belly.

I cut in, almost blushing. "Forget about that. Never happened. Ever,".

She spoke breathlessly, still laughing a bit. "Sure,". She collapsed into laughter again. I waited impatiently until I couldn't, and leaned down and placed my lips onto hers. I grinned into the kiss. _She's sure not laughing anymore_. I cupped my hands on her cheeks.

She shoved me back, her hands on my chest, putting a hand on her hip and her face in a mock angry face.

"Fang Ride, how dare you kiss me to shut me up!"

She stepped closer to me, a teasing yet somehow threatening look in her chocolate brown eyes. I stepped back accordingly, my back pressed against the wall. She leaned in close, and I grinned, closing my eyes and getting ready for a kiss; it never came. I groaned and opened my eyes to a smug looking Max sitting on the bed. How she got there so quickly, especially since she can only waddle, I do not know.

 _Pregnant women have tricks up their sleeves..._


	15. Tunnel

**AN: Hi y'all! It's been a while. Guess what, I got invited to EIGHT things in the past two weeks alone, I'm so happy for my budding social life. I'm really sorry I haven't updated in forever though, I've been so super busy. Thank you all for all the support, I couldn't be more grateful. I have a study hall period now in this semester, so I'll be able to write more then, so expect a lot more frequent, good quality updates. I was thinking every two weeks, I hope that's alright by everyone :) Thank's to my friend King who's supported me since I first started this story, I really truly appreciate it, and everyone who read it in general :) I love y'all :)**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own any part of the Maximum Ride franchise, all credit for that goes to our lord and savior, James Patterson.**

* * *

 **Dear Anonymous,**

 **Thank you for calling me a "fucking asshole" and I deserve all the shit that comes my way. It gave me a good laugh on Christmas morning :)**

* * *

 **Nudge's POV**

I woke up the next morning feeling drowsy and heavy. Angel helped drag me out of bed, and we walked to the "cafeteria". It was really just the store-room that Max made everyone organize, and this was where we ate.

We stood, everyone sleepy and yawning, except for Gazzy, who was excitedly rambling about how he found oil in a storage bin in another room while he was exploring. How he had stayed up exploring and not slept like she should've and _still_ have had this much energy was beyond my comprehension. Max, who had previously been nodding off, stood straight up, looking at Gazzy with wide eyes.

"You found another store room?".

The Gasman grinned sheepishly. "It's in this hidden part of the tunnel, and I found it all by accident in one of the tunnel parts caved in. Yeah, um, I sorta forgot to tell you sooner,".

Max rolled her eyes, and turned to Fang, that old glint back in her eyes. I was up for an adventure. Without taking her eyes off of Fang, she instructed the flock. "After breakfast. Get your stuff ready," Max grinned. "We're gonna-" the flock chanted the next part with her, effectively eradicating(10 points to me for fancy shmancy vocab) our sleep, "- _blow this joint_!".

* * *

 _ **Still**_ **Nudge's POV**

"Alright, up and at 'em, c'mon, perk up, let's go,", Max ushered the flock. Gazzy was at the front, leading us to the collapsed tunnel. The place had been built to withstand nuclear weapons, but parts of it were underdeveloped. Hence, bomb say hi, tunnel be sad, tunnel die(so much for my schmancy vocab skills).

We stopped at the edge of an empty, echoey hallway that was deserted(5 point to me for vocab. I have...15 points now. Let's keep count!) and dusty. I made a face, trailing my finger on a wall and picking up about four dust bunnies. Cute dust bunnies, but dust bunnies nonetheless. The flock walked into the tunnel, everyone except for Gazzy and Angel bending over to accommodate to the short tunnel. This went on for a few minutes, Gazzy letting one loose at some point and nearly killing us all.

I found myself bumping into Ig, who was in front of me. He complained, annoyed. "What's the hold up?".

Gazzy's response came, sounding excited. "We have to crawl now, the tunnel is too tiny,". I looked, and the tunnel had caved in with partially compacted lightly colored concrete stones, the hole 2 or 3 feet in diameter, touching the ground. I assume it was Gazzy's work when he came "exploring", because there were scorch marks.

Max systematically spoke. "Mmkay, smallest people first, with the exception of the Gasman. Gazzy, you first, then Ang, Nudge, Ig, and ummmm…"

Max trailed off, her cheeks tinged with red, and she whispered in Fang's ear. I could hear through the echoey tunnel.

" _I, I can't fit. Not with this freaking baby in here, I'm not going to be able to squeeze in the tunnel,"._ I bit back a laugh; unfortunately, Fang didn't possess the self control I did at the moment and I could hear his snickers. He recoiled, rubbing his shoulder where Max punched him.

Max tried to regain control. "Okay, umm, I can't go because of my little stomach problem,".

Ig sniggered. "'Little'?".

Max shot him the bird, and took deep breaths. "I need to go in with you all. Gaz, any way you could make the hole big enough that I can go through?".

Gazzy frowned. "Ummm, I'll need a couple of shovels. The dirt here is pretty loose, and I'll need your help from the other side,".

Angel raised her hand, "I'll get a shovel," and raced off, returning 5 minutes later toting two shovels nearly as tall as her. She quietly handed one to Gazzy and Max. Gazzy took the shovel and crawled to the other side. "The rest of you get in here, except for Max. We need to work quick,".

We obeyed after Max gave her nod of approval, and Max and Gazzy started to pick at the edges of the crumbly pieces of concrete from opposite sides of the 4 foot across tunnel. Eventually, it was about 4 feet in diameter, enough for Max and her tummy to fit through. She bent down and slid her shovel to our side. She followed, crawling slowly. She made it to the other side, Fang helping her stand up.

"Guys," Gazzy spoke nervously. We all instinctively stepped back at his tone. "I think the wall is going to-".

We heard a crashing noise, and the cement powder, pebbles, stones, and boulder fell with an earthshaking rumble. There was dust in the air when we tentatively stood up.

"-collapse," Gazzy finished weakly.

I stared at the once a wall with a tunnel, which was completely free of any openings or gaps for us to get out. We were trapped.


	16. Vision

**AN: AHHHHH, okay, I'm so excited for what's to come. King, you read my mind, I was planning on having little Phoenix arrive soon, as you'll all see in this chapter. Sorry it's pretty short, I've had to work on AP homework in study hall and I'm busy at home...so yeah. I'm going to try and post more often, I promise, which I know I always do, but I sincerely am trying my best, thanks y'all :)**

 **Disclaimer: again, I do not own own any part of the Maximum Ride franchise, all credit for that goes to James Patterson.**

* * *

 **Thank you to all the people who reviewed, I can't name all of them, but really, I have the best people ever reading my stories, thank you so much! And shout out to an Anonymous reviewer who stood up for me! I was in school when I read your review and I was jumping up and down in giddiness, thank you so incredibly much :)**

* * *

 **Angel's POV**

I was sitting on the floor, criss cross like Max always told us to sit. _I wonder how we're going to get out. Maybe we'll just scream until some of the other mutants find us. It would be smart to..._ I brainstormed for a while, shaking my head every so often, when I got a sharp pain in my head.

 _Max is screaming out in pain, and Fang is standing next to her, holding her hand. The flock is huddled around her, all murmuring words that Angel can't hear._

My eyes snapped open. That had been a collapsed rock wall in the back. That was a premonition, a, a vision. I ran to Fang, who was trying to use the shovel to get some leverage to lift up a boulder.

"Fang! I have to tell you something, _right now,_ ". He turned his head slightly, a sheen of sweat on his brow. He spoke through gritted teeth.

"Um, Ang, it'll have to wait a few,".

I crossed my arms and gave him a hard look. " _Now_ , Fang,".

He dropped the shovel and sighed. "Maybe in a little, Angel. I'm going to go check on Max,".

I walked behind him. "But Fang, this _is_ about Max!".

Fang shook his head and turned, hugging me. "Sweetie, listen to me. I know you have, strong opinions, let's say, for the way Max leads. But you can't keep trying to be leader of the flock, not yet honey,".

I was shocked, and m arms hung limply at my sides. "I...I wasn't talking about that,". But he already had gotten up and walked to Max.

Anger bubbled up in me, and then worry. _How dare he think that I'm trying to take Max's place again. I promised I wouldn't. Does the rest of the flock think that, too?_ I looked around a the flock, wondering if they thought me a traitor when a thought occurred to me. _Oh my god, Max is going to have her baby. I need to help her, okay, blankets, we need blankets and water._

I found my way into the storeroom and tried to find what would be needed. I was _not_ letting Max's baby die.

* * *

 **Fang's POV**

My knuckles were cut and bleeding from trying to move the boulders. They didn't budge one bit. I bit back a growl of frustration for Max's sake. Ang came up to me, and said something with Max, but I didn't need abother take-over-the-flock. She was sitting in the corner, wincing, trying not to let the flock see the pain. Walking over to her, I placed my hand over her swollen abdomen. I think our little girl's nearly as fierce as Max, judging by how hard her kicks were. I smiled, but then stopped halfway when I saw the look of pain on Max's face.

"Max? Maxy?" I reverted to the nickname I had given Max in the past couple months.

She croaked out. "This, this isn't just her kicking, Fang,".

My mind went numb, and I refused to believe what that implied.

"M-Maxy? You mean…?". I didn't have to finish my sentence. She grinned a little, and then gasped in pain. Max whimpered. "She, she's coming. Like, now,".


	17. Let's Blow This Joint

**AN: Hey guys! I am back! For those of you who read the update, you know I'm going to try to start updating more regularly again. With finals and an AP test coming up for me soon, I may not be able to post as much as I would like to, but I will definitely be writing more =) Thank you to everyone for all the kind and supporting messages, it means so much, honestly. Without further ado, the chapter =) I hope you enjoy this unfortunately brief chapter.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any part of the Maximum Ride franchise, all credit for that goes to James Patterson**

* * *

 **Fang's POV**

I turned around, my back facing Max so she wouldn't have to see my face. Running my hands through my hair, I tried to take deep breaths. Wait. This is what Max is supposed to be doing.

I turned around and grinned nervously, crouching down next to Max. "Who would've thought, she decides to show up at the most inconvenient of times. She's just like you."

Max laughed and then stopped, clutching her stomach with a pained look on her face.

I yelled loudly, not taking my eyes away from Max. "Nudge! Max, she's, she's, baby, towels and water, something, now!". Nudge came over with wide eyes and assessed the situation, pushing a curious Gazzy and Iggy away, telling them to forget the wall and try to find something important. I couldn't tell you what exactly she said because I had a strange ringing in my ears and everything in the room but Max blurred.

I clutched Max's hand and she tightly held mine until my hand was numb. I could faintly hear Nudge in the back yelling orders and Iggy and Gazzy trying to find what was needed. At the moment though, I was scared sick, but a feeling of certain excitement at the thought of finally getting to see her child. My child. Our child. I smiled at Max, nerves on end and stomach churning.

"Let's blow this joint, right Max?"

* * *

 **Nudge's POV**

I was clinging desperately to two hopes:

1 - That we would be able to find towels and things like that for the baby

AND

2 - That Gazzy and Iggy wouldn't be so immature and puke at the sight(or in Iggy's case, the imagined sight) of Max's hooha.

Iggy and the Gasman came over with helpless looks on their face.

"There's nothing here, we can't get anything that would work." Gazzy shrugged, a scared look on his face.

I nudged him gently with my elbow, "Hey, it's okay. Don't worry, we'll, we'll find something."

We walked towards Max, hoping all would go well. Fang snapped his head towards us. "Did you get the stuff, towel, blanket, anything?"

He glanced at our empty hands and a look of panic I had only seen once or twice on him. We looked up guiltily at him, and I went to speak but right at that moment, Angel walked in with a bundle swaddled in her arms.

She hurriedly jogged over to us and handed us the bundle, which was up close a bunch of blankets and towels. Gaz looked at her.

"How did you-?"

She waved his question away. "Doesn't matter, Max, her baby, pay attention."

Fang didn't ask any questions but took a blanket and let go of Max's hand which had a tight grip on his. I went to take his place and tried not to wince when her death grip took my hand.

Max's jeans were already off, and Gazzy looked down at his lap while Ang and I braced ourselves. Max had labored breathing, her face shone with sweat, and her mouth was scrunched up in suppressed pain. "You'll be okay Max, I promise."

Fang got a determined look on his face and held his hands out.

"Let's have a baby."


	18. Baby!

**AN: HIIIIIIII! Sorry it's been so long, but guess what? SCHOOL IS OVER, TIME FOR SUMMER. I hope you guys enjoy this fun little chapter, R &R!**

* * *

 **Gazzy's POV**

I loved and love Max, I really do, but for the love of Jesus, I did _not_ plan on being there when she was giving birth to her child. I had been planning on leaving Nudge, Fang, and Max to it, but that plan clearly wasn't going through.

Fang was holding one of of Max's hands, and Angel was standing nearby holding the towel. I didn't see or hear anymore because right at that moment, Max shifted and I saw, I saw, her, I saw her, _thing_.

Next thing I knew, I was falling backwards as the darkness closed in.

* * *

 **Iggy's POV**

Well then. When I woke up this morning, I certainly wasn't _expecting_ a new member to be added in the flock. Or for Gazzy to pass out, a thud on the floor. Well, that latter statement was debatable.

Fang, I assume, was still holding on to Max. Or maybe the other way around. He spoke in a low voice, and I could barely make out the words.

"Max...strongest...you can do this, I...you."

Now normally I would've gagged at what seemed to be a very sweet speech, but I felt that now wasn't be the time, unless I wanted a killer left hook from Max after she was done. Max screamed even louder and breathed heavily, her face scrunched up and in pure pain. Considering this is Max, who can get a gash the size of a large dagger and not flinch, labor must _suck_.

Nudge yelped excitedly, "OHMYGOSH, I CAN SEE THE LITTLE BABY'S HEAD POKING OUT FROM, UM, _THERE_!".

I grimaced. "I am so happy I can't see anything."

Nudge shoved me to the side and I returned quickly back to where I was. "What? I am."

Max groaned, and Angel spoke in a tone I haven't heard for a long time from her: scared.

"Max, you need to keep pushing, okay? Please, the baby's almost out, only the legs left, please, you can do this."

A moment's pause in all noise, and then another ear piercing scream from Max. I nudged Nudge.

"What's going on?"

"Max is giving the final push, she's running out of strength though, and - OHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGOD, THE BABY'S OUT."

* * *

 **Max's POV**

I was so tired. So. Tired. But as soon as my little baby came out, I felt wide awake, almost crying with happiness. But I didn't, because that would've been too much.

Fang and I were smiling in happiness and just felt an aura of calm around us, and Angel wrapped the baby in a towel and handed her to us, stepping a little to the side.

We looked down at our beautiful child.

"It's a girl," I grinned goofily, "I was right."

Fang kissed her forehead and then mine. "She's, wonderful."

Iggy grumbled a little and I turned my head to face him.

"What is it, Ig?"

"I was half hoping that it would be an egg."


	19. Forever and Ever

**AN: Hey y'all, I'm so so sorry for not writing. I've had a bit of writer's block for a long time, and just haven't felt up to writing in general. It's been a, how to put it, turbulent summer, and once inspiration struck, I've felt like it's time to finish this story. Thank you to everyone's support and love, even when I'm an awful updater and have short chapters. I couldn't ask for better readers =) Thank you specially to my King, who has been reading this fic since the first chapter and has stuck with me ever since. I can't begin to express my gratitude! It's super cheesy and probably not as long as it should be(it'll fit right in with the rest), but here's the final chapter =)**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own any part of the Maximum Ride franchise, all credit goes to Mr. James Patterson**

 **P.S. Don't watch the Maximum Ride movie trailer unless you want your heart ripped out of your chest at how crappy it is. No offence to the producers.**

* * *

 **Fang's POV**

As much as I didn't want to leave Max and our kid-saying that gives me happy chills, _our_ kid-we had to find a way out of this stupid place. I stood up after placing a gentle kiss on Max's and my daughter's foreheads.

"Ig, we need to get out. Any ideas?" He frowned and shook Gazzy, who was just starting to stir. "Dude, get up. Do you have any explosives?"

At that, Gazzy sat up immediately, grinning like a devil from ear to ear. "Do you even know me?"

I rolled my eyes in a very Max-esque way.

Gazzy pulled out a small hand bomb from his pocket, to Max's chagrine. "Hey, I thought I took that from you a month ago!"

He only responded by smirking, the little piece of crap. He gently set the explosive around the rubbled area and frowned.

"We need to step back. There'll be a lot of debris. Keep her covered," he said, pointing to the small bundle wrapped up in Max's arms.

Max immediately attempted to move, practically crawling with one hand holding our baby to try and find shelter behind the boxes. I rushed over, reaching out an arm to hold my little girl. Max gingerly got on her feet and stumbled over behind some boxes, where I handed her to Max. The rest of the flock hid behind us while Gazzy fiddled with it.

He clambered back and I could see a wisp of his blond hair peeking out from behind Ig.

"We have around seven seconds...six...five...four...thr-"

A loud ground-trembling roar shook the room and I instinctively covered a crouching Max and child. I felt like my heart was gutting knives inside me when I heard my little baby wailing.

Max yelled, "ALL GOOD?"

Everyone mumbled yes and stood up, rushing towards the bomb site to see if the path had opened up. Whoops and cheering let me know it was in the affirmative. Max's full focus was on our girl. She was still piping her little lungs out. Max looked at me and murmured. "I have to feed her, we need to get her out of here." I nodded once and moved Max, our girl, and I to the entrance.

Gazzy spoke. "You're going to have to crawl, it's only 3 or 4 feet tall."

I grinned, suddenly overtaken by one simple fact. _I'm a father_. The flock looked at me like I had grown another eye.

"What? I just had a kid. At least try to be happy for me. And don't stare at my ass."

With that, I crawled a few feet through to the other side and talked back inside. "Hand me our girl, and then Max. I'll take her to her room, she needs to, uh, feed the baby."

Max gently handed our girl over to me and then gingerly crawled through the hole, wrinkling her nose at the dust coating her face. She immediately held her arms out for the baby once she could. Chuckling, I gave her to Max and we walked off with no other thoughts in our minds but her.

If I had been listening properly, I would've heard Ig mutter, "Yeah, leave us for the dead, why dontcha," with grin in his voice.

Max murmured, "She needs a name, you know."

With a moment of silence, I racked my mind for possible names. A road sign from long long ago came to me.

"Phoenix," I said, with a sense of rightness. "We'll call her Phoenix. And then, when she's old enough, she can choose whether she wants to change it or not."

Max sent me that smile that made my knees weak.

"That's perfect."

* * *

 **A Few Months Later**

 **Still Fang's POV**

 _Some rest, sleep, come to me like how good fashion tips come to Stacy London and Clinton Kelly._

My eyes closed and I was nearly asleep and my limbs felt like falli-

" _Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"_

Phoenix woke me up like a fire alarm in the middle of the night. With a groan, I hauled myself up and walked to her makeshift crib that Gazzy and Iggy pulled together(those bastards, they only made it if I gave them payment in form of the chocolate stash I had saved up). Max moved to stand too, but she had barely gotten a wink of sleep in the past week. I shushed her and gently told her I'd handle it, to which she muttered an incoherent "thank you" and went back to sleep.

Cradling a still-crying Phoenix, I rocked her back and forth in my arms, being careful of her wings. The little minx lessened her crying marginally and stared up at me with her chocolate brown eyes, same as Max's. I whispered to her, trying to calm her so maybe we both could get some sleep.

"Hey sweetie. You know, Mommy and Daddy have been through a lot of trouble to keep you safe, to make this world with you better. I wish you could have a better start. I wish we could've given you a life with luxuries such as, I don't know, normal ice cream or a sunny day. We tried our best. And we're still trying, so please, please stop crying, honey, we're trying our best."

Her wailing subsided to the occasional whimper, as if she understood what I was telling her.

"Mommy and Daddy will always be here for you, okay? We'll always be here, no matter what." I pressed a soft kiss on her forehead as her eyes began to droop. "We'll love you, through every sob, through every scraped knee, through every temper tantrum you're bound to have, since you are your mother's daughter," I said wryly. "We'll love you through the good and bad times, for the rest of our lives," I paused, seeing her smile a little in her sleep, so much like Max, feeling my heart overwhelm with love, "For forever and ever."


End file.
